Favourite Albums Of 2010

Third part of my review of the year, my favourite ten albums of the past year.

10. The Winter Of Mixed Drinks - Frightened Rabbit



A more commercial offering from Frightened Rabbit. It's no 'Midnight Organ Fight' but then what could be. That's what happens when you set the bar so high.

9. Your Future, Our Clutter - The Fall



I haven't listened to a Fall album in years. I'm glad I did this year.

8. Existence - Detroit Social Club



Detroit Social Club's début album seems to tick every box for every musical style that it can but somehow comes out sounding pretty fine.

7. Renegades - Feeder



The album spawned from their Renegades side project, marking a welcome return to their noisier earlier days.

6. Romance Is Boring - Los Campesinos!



The sound of Los Campesinos! maturing slightly whilst still telling meandering tales of Gareths's multiple relationship failures and sexual disappointments.

5. Nobody's Coming To Save You - The Sunshine Underground



Welcome back to the Sunshine Underground. Another band who had the impossible task of trying to surpass a near perfect album. They gave it a decent shot.

4. Interpol - Interpol



Like Feeder, Interpol go backwards to go forwards. It's no 'Turn On The Bright Lights' but it's in the same moody sort of vein.

3. Ex Maniac - Babybird



Whatever happened to Stephen Jones. Well actually he's never been away and now his new record is Johnny Depp's album of the year, but he would say that, he played guitar on it. It's dark and depressing whilst at the same time oddly amusing and uplifting. Quite brilliant actually. Surprise of the year.

2. Expo 86 - Wolf Parade



I'd only just got into Wolf Parade's first two albums when they bring out 'Expo 86' which it could be argued is the best thing they've ever done.

1. High Violet - The National



Here's one band who have managed to achieve the same sort of heights as their previous works. As good, maybe, as both 'Boxer' and 'Alligator'. Simply Brilliant.

Favourite Gigs Of 2010

This is the first part of my review of the year, my favourite ten gigs of the past year.

I had quite some choice this year. I went to thirty concerts plus the three day festival that was Summer Sundae.

An honourable mention must go to a few bands. Firstly Jonsi, who my partner will be pleased to know only just missed out, it was quite an experience. Also to Chapel Club who were excellent but we only saw so briefly I can't really count them. Also to We Are Scientists, The Joy Formidable, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Gaslight Anthem and Delays (twice) who were all as good as ever but perhaps over familiarity prevents them reaching the top ten this time. Maybe next year. Finally to two who I haven't seen for ages. Julian Cope, who hasn't really been away and the Primitives, who have. Both good but not good enough.

So...

10. New Model Army, Rock City, Saturday 23rd October



New Model Army probably sneak in because it was a special occasion, their 30th birthday and for doing something innovative, two nights, different sets each night but it was also a great show and a great atmosphere.

Read My Review

9. Frank Turner, The Venue, Derby, Wednesday 25th August



You can't beat Frank for an entertaining stage show. So he just had to be in here.

Read My Review

8. The Sunshine Underground, The Venue, Derby, Friday 12th February



It was good to have these guys back in 2010 and sounding so good both on record and on stage.

Read My Review

7. British Sea Power, Leicester Y Theatre, Thursday 20th May



Another entertaining show from British Sea Power, who seem to get better and quirkier with every show. This was a tour for no particular reason, in a very odd venue, which is just so BSP and you get chocolate as well.

Read My Review

6. Los Campesinos!, The Musician, Leicester, Friday 19th February



A band I've wanted to see for ages and ages, then suddenly I see them twice in a year. Arguably they were actually better at Summer Sundae even without including the failed stage dive but The Musician was pretty good too.

Read My Review

5. The National, Warwick Arts Centre, Butterworth Hall, Thursday 25th November

A reunion with the National and a 'posh' night out at the Warwick Arts Centre. A frustrating setlist but most things can be forgiven after the show stopping ending of the unplugged rendition of 'Vanderlyle'.



Read My Review

4. Interpol, Rock City, Wednesday 24th November



This was a long awaited first and Interpol did not disappoint. Including an encore that dreams are made of, well mine anyway.

Read My Review

3. Wolf Parade, Glee Club, Birmingham, Sunday 12th September



This was the first time I'd seen Wolf Parade and boy was I impressed. Unfortunately it was one of those annoying early curfew shows and we got a truncated setlist. Which means somehow I've got to get to see them again.

Read My Review

2. Renegades (Feeder), Sheffield Leadmill, Sunday 18th April



This was the year that Feeder went back to their roots became Renegades and rattled the walls at several small venues across the country. I saw them three times in 2010. Later seeing them launch their album with a daytime show at the Camden Barfly and then a few months later play a full Feeder show in Leeds but it's their performance at the Leadmill in April that moved me the most. I think the Sweet 16/Descend finale is still reverberating around in my head.

Read My Review

1. Editors, Lincoln Engine Shed, Saturday 6th March



Last year I gave them 10th place and accused them of being flat, less than six months later they were sensational. The perfect set:- a good mix of old and new, an obscure B side, an unreleased new track, a hard to get one from a film soundtrack and they even did 'Escape The Nest'.

Read My Review

Summer Sundae Weekender

We’re doing the whole music festival thing on the cheap this year. Well, on a smaller scale at least, travelling only to Leicester and the Summer Sundae Weekender in the grounds of De Montfort Hall. A festival that is now in its tenth year and if, like us, you’re used to huge festivals like Leeds this one is much cosier. You can walk around the entire site and all five stages in around ten minutes. They even sell proper beer. We’re so hip we’re even here for the whole weekend and we have the wristbands to prove it.



This is a festival like no other... perhaps... it has a garden



A knitting tent



And of course the sundaes



And where wellies and mini-skirts are the order of the day

(photo withheld)

And a few bands.

Kyt, a local band and the winner of the BBC East Midlands competition get the honour of opening the main stage. Their music is unfamiliar to us of course, apart from ‘Solsbury Hill’, yes that one. It’s an interesting version. They weren’t bad, drawing a reasonable crowd but the elements intervened and the first of several bouts of rain drove us and many others indoors.

One advantage of Summer Sundae is that De Montfort Hall itself is on hand as a safe haven from such weather but I certainly don’t envy whoever has to wash all the mud out of the carpets come Monday. Nottingham’s Spotlight Kid are the first band to grace the indoor stage. Three guitars, bass and a girl vocalist, more 90’s shoegazing retro but they prove to be the best of the local bands we see across the weekend.



Leicester’s Musician venue have their own tent and we stumbled across Kirsty Almeida in there. Her jazz n blues n stuff seemed very popular with the sat down chilled out crowd, although this might be because of the rain. The Musician presumably had a hand in the nearby real ale tent as well, which is a very welcome sight compared with the usual beer desert that festivals are.

We venture back outside where Charlie And The Martyrs are dabbling with another odd mix of styles on the main stage but it soon starts raining again, so we switch our attention to another Nottingham band Swimming on the indoor stage. They are another band who can’t decide whether they want an 80’s guitar sound or an 80’s keyboard sound and consequently mix in too much of both.



The Phoenix eFestivals tent is mainly for comedy and showing films but when we pop in there for a change of scenery there are some weird choir rehearsals going on. Apparently for a performance later on during the weekend.

There are a few no shows today, artist wise, and quite a few artistes switching stages. We get caught out when we wander back to the main stage to see Fanfarlo but apparently they are stuck on the motorway, allegedly and we get the Mercury nominated Irish singer-songwriter Fionn Regan instead. The sun comes out for him but he does little for me.

Following him though, come the Sunshine Underground to brighten up my day, delivering a typically excellent forty-five minute set and it even stays dry for them.

After which L suggests we take in a couple of Lou Rhodes songs but we leave after only one. She’s so pleasant it's painful. Off for a pint instead. Which I sup listening to comedian Adrian Poynton in the eFestivals tent. He turns from your average unfunny comedian to suddenly quite amusing once he started ad-libbing and picking on his audience. This improved his act no end but did nothing for audience retention as people started to leave out of fear of being his next victim. We move on... to see Teenage Fanclub who haven't changed much since I saw them at Trent Poly decades ago.



They jangled along merrily and inoffensively then and did so today as well, there were even a few tunes I vaguely remembered.

Back to the Musician tent which is packed for Danny and The Champions Of The World. So packed we can't get in, which is a feature of the Musician tent all weekend. It's a riot in there for Danny and co, so I guess he must have been good.

The find of the day are Sheffield’s Charles Watson and Rebecca Taylor, collectively known as Slow Club, who are excellent until she stops singing and starts talking. Crikes that accent. Stick to what you’re best at Rebecca, singing. L is so impressed she goes home and orders the album.



All that is left is a choice between headliners Roots Manuva (indoors) or Seasick Steve (outside). We choose Seasick Steve and walk out after two songs. How rock n roll of us. Can’t see the appeal to be honest, yes he was unique and impressive with his guitar playing when he broke through on Later with Jools a few years ago but now... just another blues act or perhaps I just don’t get it, as he seems popular tonight. His guitar playing being whisked away on the gathering wind as we head off for our train home. Nope, we’re not camping.

(Friday 13th August)

Revision

I park the car at my parents place and run the 8km (5 miles) into work. The temperature seems to have stayed marginally above freezing overnight. So although there are a few icy patches left it’s not too bad underfoot at all. The worst stretch was along the river path, so when I do the journey in reverse this evening, in the dark, I avoid that bit. Instead I stick to the well lit main roads and do another 8km.

This morning I skipped over the ice to Los Campesinos and this evening I ran back the other way to Sunshine Underground. I am revising for our next bout of gigs. These are two of the next three artists we are down to see. I just haven’t been able to bring myself to revise the one that falls in between them two yet.... Mr Michael Holbrook Penniman.

I’ve stayed in Derby for the match tonight, for which I’m really surprised we still have a manager. Nigel Clough had the look of a manager about to resign as he stood forlornly on the touchline on Saturday. I suppose defeat tonight could tip him over the edge but who knows. To win, we’d have to score, which we won’t do if he continues to insist on leaving all his creative players out of the team. At best we’ll lose on penalties after a 0-0 draw.

Makes you wonder why I’m going... but what else is there to do on a Tuesday night. I doubt they’ll be many of us there; the club have set high ticket prices. I assume this is to try and keep the gate down, to minimise the embarrassment. I can’t think of any other reason why they’d charge nearly full price for a mid-week cup replay against a mid-table division three side.

Armed with a larger flask of coffee than Saturday, my Dad and I brave the cold and it’s not a bad game, if you forget that fact that the opposition are from a lower league. Derby, with thankfully a slightly more attacking line up tonight, have the majority of possession but still create very little. Almost from the start, you can see that this game is heading for penalties but then at the start of extra time, Millwall awake from their slumber and attempt to win the game. They very nearly do, taking the lead at the start of the second period of extra time but Derby bounce back and equalise, so the promised penalty shoot out ensues.

Oddly for a side that can barely muster a shot on goal in two hours, once they are faced with no other option from the penalty spot they all suddenly know what to do and we score five out of five, taking us through to the fourth round. Where it’s another glamour tie against Brentford or Doncaster, should they eventually manage to stage their weather delayed third round tie.